[A pastoralist transports fodder in a drought stricken area. Photo/The Zimbabwe Mail]
President Uhuru Kenyatta will formally launch payouts under the Kenya Livestock Insurance program this week.
State House spokesperson Manoah Esipisu said this will help vulnerable pastoralists to purchase fodder and animal feed supplements to keep their core breeding herd alive until the drought has passed.
Some Sh215 million in payouts will be made available to 12,604 registered pastoralist households located in the Arid and Semi-Arid (ASAL) counties of Mandera, Marsabit, Isiolo Tana River, Turkana and Wajir.
“There are 23 counties that are experiencing severe drought. The government has put in place measures that will mitigate the effects of the drought,’’ Esipisu said.
He noted there has been enhanced water trucking across the country and especially in the areas hardest hit by the drought.
“Several boreholes have been rehabilitated. These are the boreholes that have experienced pressure due to long hours of pumping.’’
During his weekly briefing at Sagana Lodge, Nyeri, Esipisu said there has been enhanced livestock off take in the 23 counties affected by the drought.
“We are buying the cattle as well as procure goats and sheep. Since body conditions of most of them is not good, the administration is slaughtering and giving locals for consumption, and for them to store in traditional ways as dried up meat. The same meat is being supplied in schools.’’
In terms of provision of food, he said Jubilee administration had doubled up food rations to feed three million people, up from an initial figure of 1.3 million Kenyans.
He revealed development partners such as the Red Cross and UN agencies continued to give the government support in targeting specific vulnerable groups, such as the elderly, women and children under the age of five.
In 2016, Sh30 million was paid by the National government as insurance premiums for the drought cover in 2016.